Chapter 29: Echoes of Fire
The corridor trembled as distant explosions echoed through the estate. Dust fell from the carved ceiling beams. Mei Xiao clutched Yin Luo's wrist and pulled her behind a curtain.
"Why do these ancient seal fragments always come with deadly assassins?" Mei hissed, peering through the torn silk. "Why can't they just come in pretty boxes with a free snack?"
Yin Luo blinked. "You're making jokes right now?"
"I panic better with humor."
Footsteps thundered past — black-robed intruders moving like shadows. Mei pressed herself against the wall, heart pounding. Through the chaos, she kept thinking about Murong Jing He. Was he safe?
Was he even real?
"Why would the Obsidian Sect attack now?" Mei whispered.
"They must have sensed the seal's stirrings," Yin Luo said. "The shard in you—it must've flared when we brought the third fragment close."
Mei touched her chest unconsciously. It had burned. Like a flame waking from sleep.
A sudden crash made them flinch. The far wall burst inward, revealing a masked figure wielding twin blades. He spotted them instantly.
Yin Luo gasped. "Run!"
Mei grabbed the nearest vase and threw it with all her strength. It hit the assassin square in the face—then shattered into harmless glittering pieces.
"…Did you just throw the Phoenix urn?" Yin Luo squeaked.
"How was I supposed to know it was sacred?!" Mei yelled.
They darted down a narrow servant hallway, torches flickering as wind blew in through a broken window. Mei's robes snagged, and she cursed loudly. "Why do they dress like this in the past? I swear this sash just tried to strangle me!"
They reached a side chamber. Mei slammed the door behind them and locked it.
For a moment, there was silence. Their breaths heavy. The scent of incense still hung in the air—faint, but calming.
Yin Luo turned to her, serious now. "There's something I haven't told you. About your fragment."
"…Great," Mei muttered, sliding down the door. "Another prophecy. Is this one at least good?"
Yin Luo hesitated. "It says… the third flame will awaken only when touched by its mirror. And that mirror… is not an object. It's a soul."
Mei frowned. "A soul?"
Yin Luo nodded. "Your powers won't fully return unless you connect with the soul bound to your flame."
Mei's heart skipped. A soul? A mirror? Her mind flashed to Murong Jing He — his gaze, his calm coldness, his strange familiarity…
Suddenly, the door shuddered. A muffled voice came through.
"Mei Lin. Open the door."
Her breath caught. That voice.
Yin Luo grinned. "Guess your mirror came looking."
Mei Xiao rolled her eyes. "Of course. Right after I destroyed a sacred vase and insulted ancient fashion."